One Word That Describes California’s Covid Surge? Try ‘Purple’: If the Golden State was still using its four-color reopening blueprint for ranking counties by infection rates, at least a dozen counties — including Los Angeles, Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano — now would be in the most-restrictive purple tier, and many businesses would not be fully open. Read more from the Bay Area News Group.
More Counties Recommend Wearing Masks Indoors: Four more counties in the greater Bay Area — Napa, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito — on Monday joined their neighbors in recommending all residents, regardless of vaccination status, resume wearing masks indoors. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Continued coverage, below.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County COVID Cases Spike As Delta Variant Spreads
Los Angeles County is now recording more than 10,000 coronavirus cases a week — a pace not seen since March — an alarming sign of the dangers the Delta variant poses to people who have not been vaccinated and heightening pressure on health officials to reverse the trend. A Los Angeles Times data analysis found L.A. County was recording 101 weekly coronavirus cases for every 100,000 residents, up from 12 for the seven-day period that ended June 15. That means the county has surpassed the threshold to have “high” community transmission of the disease, the worst tier as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A region must hit 100 or more weekly cases per 100,000 residents to enter the worst tier. (Lin II, Greene and Lauder, 7/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Who Is The Coronavirus Surge Impacting In San Francisco?
The extra-contagious delta variant has driven a recent surge in coronavirus cases nationwide, and San Francisco is no exception. Case rates have risen citywide this month, primarily among unvaccinated people. The Chronicle looked at data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health to see where in the city these infections are occurring. The data shows that new cases are predominantly hitting residents who have suffered disproportionately from the virus since the pandemic began: Black and Latino people. (Neilson, 7/19)
SF Gate:
UCSF Doctors On The Risks The Delta Variant Poses To Vaccinated People
On Friday, seven Bay Area counties and one city released new guidelines for masking, recommending that people, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public indoor spaces. The updated guidelines arrive as the delta variant drives a surge in COVID-19 cases throughout California and the country, leaving many to wonder: How will it impact me if I'm fully vaccinated? SFGATE spoke to two UCSF infectious disease experts, Dr. Monica Gandhi and Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, and both stressed that vaccination will protect people from experiencing severe side effects from the delta variant, which is thought to be more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain. (Robertson, 7/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Two New Deaths From COVID-19, 207 New Cases Reported Monday
The Kern County Public Health Services Department announced two new coronavirus deaths and 207 new confirmed cases on Monday. The county has recorded a total of 1,416 deaths and 111,894 cases since the pandemic began. Of the individuals who have contracted the virus, 13,804 have been 17 or younger, 67,507 have been 18 to 49 years old, 20,277 have been 50 to 64 years old and 10,264 have been 65 or older. (7/19)
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Unvaccinated Sonoma County Man Dies Of Illness Related To COVID-19
Sonoma County public health officials on Monday reported an unvaccinated man has died from complications of the coronavirus, bringing to nine the number of pandemic-related deaths so far in July.The man, who died at a local hospital July 8, had underlying health conditions, said local officials, who declined to provide additional details about the man or when he contracted the infectious disease. Since May, when there was only one death in the county attributed to the virus, COVID-19 infections and deaths have steadily increased. By late May, coronavirus transmission began ramping up and in a matter of weeks, local hospitals went from treating a few infected patients to dozens of them. (Espinoza, 7/19)
Sacramento Bee:
Stanford Researchers Track COVID In Sacramento Wastewater
For more evidence that coronavirus activity has been rising fast in the Sacramento area, look below us. Levels of the virus that causes COVID-19 detected in human wastewater have grown substantially since about the start of June, according to sewershed data analyzed by a Stanford-based research team. (McGough, 7/19)
Sacramento Bee:
Will CA Require Masks Inside Again? Gavin Newsom Won’t Say
As COVID-19 cases in California rise, Gov. Gavin Newsom avoided answering a question Monday about whether he might impose a new statewide mask mandate, instead stressing the importance of vaccinations. The rate of Californians testing positive for COVID-19 in the last week, known as the positivity rate, has ticked up steadily for days and is now at 4.1%, the highest it’s been since February. (Bollag, 7/19)
KQED:
With The Delta Variant Spreading Fast, Is It Time To Mask Up Again?
After declining steeply for six months, coronavirus cases are once again on the rise, thanks to the delta variant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that new cases are up by nearly 70% in just a week nationwide, with hospitalizations up by 36%. In California, new coronavirus cases saw a 90% increase from the previous week, according to end-of-day totals on Friday. Many Bay Area counties are also seeing an uptick in cases. And in Contra Costa County, cases have more than doubled in recent weeks. On Friday, health officials in seven Bay Area counties strongly urged all residents, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks in public indoor spaces. These counties are urging businesses to adopt masking requirements for all indoor customers. (Simmons-Duffin, 7/19)
Sacramento Bee:
Residents And Businesses React To Sacramento Mask Guidance
A month after the lifting of pandemic restrictions in California, Sacramentans seem to be having mixed reactions to new health recommendations that they mask up again indoors due to the highly contagious Delta variant. The new guidance was issued Thursday morning for Sacramento County, a day after Yolo County did the same, advising residents to wear masks in most public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status. (Shaikh, 7/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Is Indoor Dining Still OK Under New Mask Guidance? Here's What Bay Area Health Experts Say
With the delta variant prompting several Bay Area health officials to recommend everyone once again wear masks indoors, many people may be wondering if indoor dining is still a wise idea — even if they are vaccinated. Public health experts have long maintained that indoor dining is one of the riskiest activities even if you are vaccinated, since diners are bound to take masks off to eat. The highly infectious nature of the delta variant and rising case counts across the Bay Area make the risk level of indoor dining that much higher. (Bitker, 7/19)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County To Issue New Guidance For COVID Masks
Stanislaus County officials released updated mask-wearing advice for residents as the Delta variant pushes a rise in COVID-19 illness. “With this highly infectious Delta variant spreading, fully vaccinated people may want the extra protection of wearing a mask indoors,” a county Health Services Agency press release said Monday. (Carlson, 7/19)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID Vaccines Work. Why Is L.A. Mask Mandate Necessary?
Health experts agree the COVID-19 vaccines have proved to be extremely effective against the virus, including providing protection from the highly contagious Delta variant. Those safeguards are highlighted by the percentage of people who are now testing positive for the coronavirus in Los Angeles County, where more than 10,000 new cases have been reported in the last week. In an alarming spike in cases, 99% of new infections involve people who have not been vaccinated. (Lin II and Money, 7/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Will Anyone Enforce L.A. County's COVID Mask Mandate?
Los Angeles County’s indoor mask mandate is now the law of the land.But how — or whether — it will be enforced remains an open question. Technically, those who violate the new mask rules, or any other provisions included in the county’s latest health officer order, can be cited or fined. But practically speaking, many health and law enforcement officials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have favored educating residents about the rules and urging adherence rather than writing a flurry of tickets. (Money, 7/19)
Bay Area News Group:
Palo Alto Father Sues School District After Son Not Allowed In Class Without Mask
The father of a rising senior at Palo Alto High School has sued the school district after his son was denied entry to a summer history class for not wearing a mask. According to a lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court earlier this month by the student’s father, A.J. Gokcek, his son — referred to in the complaint as T.G. — had registered for a 2½-week credit-recovery history course, beginning July 6 and ending July 23. (Toledo, 7/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Hollywood Crews Could Be Forced To Vaccinate Under New Deal With Unions
Hollywood workers may have to be vaccinated to work on union film sets under new COVID-19 safety requirements. Producers will have the option to mandate vaccinations for their cast and crews working in close proximity to actors, leading entertainment industry unions and an alliance of Hollywood producers said Monday night. (Sakoui, 7/19)
Bay Area News Group:
COVID Vaccinations Lag, Outbreaks Spread In Bay Area Homeless Shelters
Even as the Bay Area celebrates high COVID vaccination rates, the region is falling drastically short in efforts to inoculate thousands of people living on the street, in vehicles and in homeless shelters. In some counties, unhoused people are getting vaccinated at close to half the rate of the general population. Other counties aren’t even tracking vaccination rates in homeless communities, making it all but impossible to gauge their success and target areas for improvement. (Kendall, 7/19)
Sacramento Bee:
20% Americans Say Microchips In Shots
Around 20% of Americans believe the government uses COVID vaccines to microchip people, according to a recent poll. An Economist/YouGov survey conducted July 10-13 based on a sample size of 1,500 adults found that 15% of respondents said it was “probably true” that vaccines contain microchips while 5% said it was “definitely true.” (Lin, 7/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
If You're Fully Vaccinated, What's Your Risk Of 'Long COVID' As Delta Variant Spreads?
The Bay Area is rapidly backpedaling on indoor masking, with most of the region’s counties now recommending that even vaccinated people don face coverings indoors because of concerns about the highly contagious delta coronavirus variant. Most COVID-19 vaccines are proving very effective at protecting against severe illness and hospitalization from the delta variant, but breakthrough cases do occur — and some experts have said that the potential for lingering health problems known as “long COVID” gives them pause. (Hwang, 7/20)
CalMatters:
What’s Happened To Newsom’s Bold Health Care Promises?
Early in his term, Gov. Gavin Newsom positioned himself as the governor who would champion health care. He vowed to target rising prescription drug costs and find a way for the state to pay for care for all Californians, a key campaign promise. He also set a goal of creating a blueprint to better serve the Golden State’s growing population of seniors. But two and a half years after taking office and still struggling to control a pandemic, the governor has had to focus much of his attention on COVID-19, so timelines for other health efforts have been pushed back. (Ibarra, 7/19)
KQED and AP:
California Launches The Largest Free School Lunch Program In The Country
When classrooms in California reopen for the fall term, all 6.2 million public school students will have the option to eat school meals for free, regardless of their family’s income. The undertaking, made possible by an unexpected budget surplus, will be the largest free student lunch program in the country. School officials, lawmakers, anti-hunger organizations and parents are applauding it as a pioneering way to prevent the stigma of accepting free lunches and feed more hungry children. (Gecker, 7/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Black Patients At Higher Risk Even At Same Hospitals
Black patients are significantly more likely to suffer dangerous bleeding, infections and other serious problems related to surgical procedures than are white patients treated in the same hospital, according to a new analysis from the nonprofit Urban Institute. The analysis, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, builds on earlier research showing that Black patients are more likely than white ones to endure injuries and acquire illnesses in the hospital. (Alpert Reyes, 7/20)
Los Angeles Times:
Firefighters Achieve Mixed Success In Containing Northern California Fires
As hot weather continued to bake the state Monday, multiple fires in Northern California increased in size and threatened communities, with the worst two being the Dixie and Tamarack fires. The Tamarack is growing unabated at the California-Nevada state line and has burned more than 23,000 acres since lightning sparked it on July 4. Mandatory evacuations remain in place for several areas in Alpine County, including the small town of Markleeville. It is 0% contained. (Pinho, 7/19)
Bay Area News Group:
Northern California Wildfires Scorch More Than 158,000 Acres. PG&E May Be Partly To Blame.
As a series of wildfires — including the state’s first “megafire” of the season — continue to scorch more than 158,000 acres of bone dry forest landscape in Northern California, PG&E revealed that its equipment may have helped spark a growing blaze roaring through remote terrain in Butte County. In a state regulatory filing late Sunday, PG&E said that state fire investigators collected the utility company’s equipment located in the area where the Dixie Fire ignited in the rugged Feather River Canyon. (Angst, 7/19)
Chico Enterprise-Record:
Now 40,500 Acres, Dixie Fire Grows By 10,000 Acres Monday
The Dixie Fire has more than doubled in size over the last 24 hours, and with isolated thunderstorms expected in the area overnight, firefighters on Monday focused on widening and strengthening control lines around the perimeter of the fire. The fire was mapped at 40,500 acres Monday night according to Cal Fire’s latest estimate, growing by more than 10,000 acres during a day in which a large pyrocumulus smoke column was visible over the fire. It appeared to create several flashes of lightning in the area as well. (Denner, 7/20)
Sacramento Bee:
Large Fire Burns Near American River In Sacramento
A grass fire burned through more than two dozen acres by late Monday afternoon along the American River Parkway in Sacramento. The Sacramento Fire Department said in a social media post a little before 3 p.m. that the blaze was near mile marker 4 on the lower part of the parkway. Traffic on the Capital City Freeway is heavily impacted, officials said. (McGough and Shaikh, 7/19)
CapRadio:
Northern California Wildfires: Where To Find Updates On Air Quality, Evacuations, And Official Information
Approximately 2,350 people have been evacuated as a number of major wildfires continue to burn in Northern California. Evacuations were expanded again Monday for the Dixie Fire in Butte and Plumas counites, and the Tamarack Fire in Alpine County. Both fires are impacting air quality in the region. Evacuations are also in place in Lassen County due to the Beckwourth Complex fires. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Lassen, Plumas and Sikiyou counties Friday because of the Beckwourth Complex and Lava fires burning in the region. (7/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Here's How Bad Tahoe Air Quality Got Because Of Tamarack Fire Smoke
Smoke from the Tamarack Fire drifted into the South Lake Tahoe area Sunday night, briefly worsening air quality before clearing up Monday, according to air quality data. On Sunday at about 6 p.m., the air quality was deemed “very unhealthy” with an AQI of 222 in South Lake Tahoe, according to AirNow.gov’s Fire and Smoke Map. A dark, smoky sky engulfed the South Lake Tahoe area, according to some social media posts. (Flores, 7/19)
KQED:
A Harrowing California Fire Season Is Here, Fueled By Historic Drought
Two years of record dry winters and scorching early summer heat waves have primed forests across California to burn, just as the state heads into the hottest months of summer. Fire season is here; fast, furious and early — exacerbated by dry conditions across most of the state, Paul Rogers, with the Mercury News, reported, writing that “memories of last year’s destructive fires are still fresh.” (Stark and Hailye, 7/19)
CapRadio:
California STD Cases Dropped During The Pandemic, But Advocates Say More Testing Is Needed
Between the first six months of 2019 and the first six months of 2020, California’s chlamydia cases dropped 31% and gonorrhea cases dipped 13%, according to a new study from the California Department of Public Health. But health advocates worry that sexually transmitted infections are still rampant — they’re just not being tracked. (7/19)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Police Looking For Volunteers For Crisis Intervention Team
The San Diego Police Department is looking for volunteers to join its crisis intervention team, which helps people affected by traumatic events. The department will hold a 100-hour training course in September and an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at its headquarters, at 1401 Broadway in downtown San Diego. Volunteers must be on call for 20 hours a month and attend monthly meetings. (Hernandez, 7/19)